My favorite ministry while in Vilanculos, Mozambique were the 2 days I was able to go to the prison. The moment I walked into the small room, where over 100 prisoners had been crammed, I was overwhelmed by two things: the smell and a feeling that God was moving in this place. I have never walked into any place or any situation and felt that why. But all throughout the hour we were at the prison, I just couldn’t shake the feeling that God was going to use this small prison to change the city. I also saw such hopelessness in their eyes, like they had given up believing they were worth anything. During our first visit there my teammate Jessica spoke and at the end of her talk she asked if anyone wanted to put their faith in God. Every person sitting in the crammed space raised their hand. All during this time my heart was racing and an excitement was rising in me. I wanted to give the prisoners hope and tell them that God had a plan for their lives! But, I doubted that the words running through my mind were from God so I remained seated on the floor. Throughout the following week each day I felt God confirm that I was suppose to speak at the prison, and I felt He gave me a more clear idea of what He wanted me to say. A week after my first visit I was able to return to the prison an share the words God had been laying on my heart. I have never felt God speak through me so strongly as He did that day. I told them of two pictures God had given to me for the prison: the first was that literally every person in that room was going to be raised up to be a warrior for Christ and He wants to use every person in that room to redeem the people of Vilanculos and all of Mozambique. Secondly, I shared with them the vision I received while praying one night with a teammate. People were walking past the prison and stopping as the front gates because they hear this loud, joyful singing coming from inside the walls. I immediately knew that God wants the prison to became a center of praise and worship in the city, and that just by singing their hearts out to God, people outside the prison walls will be touched. Hope was a strong word I kept getting for these people over and over. God is their hope. They don’t need to worry about the future or live meaningless lives any longer: they have hope in Christ. It was so empowering to speak these truths to the men and women at the prison. I was so excited and energized afterwards; I loved being able to bring them hope. And I love that God used me in that way. On the way out of the prison that day I realized that it didn’t smell anymore. The first day I was there it smelled so bad at one point I had to walk outside because I could no longer breath. But, this time around it didn’t smell. I thought that was an interesting thing to note.
